As his name says, Jake from State Farm is the mascot of State Farm, an American insurance company. The character originated in a 2011 ad starring real State Farm agent Jake Stone, where a woman suspects her husband of cheating, only to find out that he genuinely is talking to an insurance agent ("What are you wearing, 'Jake from State Farm'?" "Uh...khakis.") working the night shift as a sign of the brand's reliability.
The character was relaunched in 2020, now played by actor Kevin Mimms. In various short commercials, Jake from State Farm (wearing his iconic red top and khakis) participates in mildly ridiculous situations with both celebrities and everyday people, promising affordable rates, personally tailored insurance packages, and reliable customer support. This is all topped off with the company tagline: "Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there".
Many ads can be viewed on State Farm's YouTube channel
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Tropes:
- Ascended Meme: The 2020 campaign was the result of the original one-off 2011 ad going viral in the intervening years.
- Cassandra Truth: In both original and remade Jake from State Farm ads, a wife doesn't believe that her husband is talking to a real estate agent, believing him to be having an affair over the phone. Even when all the details are lining up so that it's clear the husband is telling the truth, she still doesn't take the hint.Wife: "Jake from State Farm," at 3 in the morning?! Who is this?!
Husband: It's Jake... from State Farm.
Wife: What're you wearing, (Air Quotes) "Jake from State Farm?"
Jake: Uh... khakis?
Wife: (nodding) She sounds hideous!
Husband: Well, she's a guy, so... - Iconic Outfit: The original ad highlighted that Jake is frequently wearing a red top and khakis. In all other ads he is wearing the same outfit or one with a similar color scheme.
- Leitmotif: The "Like a good neighbor..." tagline is punctuated by a jaunty five-note melody. Lampshaded in "Dunk" and "Storytime" where Chris Paul hears the notes and instantly assumes he's in a comercial.
- Microtransactions: In-Universe in "Super Sparkle", where Ashly Burch complains that she's spending too much on microtransactions for a silly-looking video game, so Jake from State Farm promises savings by bundling insurance packages.
- Mistaken for Cheating:
- In both the original ad and the remake starring Mimms' take on the character, a man's wife catches him on the phone in the middle of the night. She assumes "Jake from State Farm" on the other end is another woman and takes the phone, sarcastically asking Jake what he's wearing. Confused, the insurance agent says khakis.Husband: Yeah, I'm married. Does it matter?... You'd do that for me?... Really?... Yeah, I'd like that—
Wife: Who are you talking to?
Husband: It's Jake from State Farm. Sounds like a really good deal.
Wife: Jake from State Farm at three in the morning? [grabs the phone] Who is this?!
Husband: It's Jake from State Farm.
Wife: What are you wearing, "Jake from State Farm"?
[cut to State Farm office]
Jake* : Uh...khakis?
[cut to living room]
Wife: She sounds hideous.
Husband: Well, she's a guy, so...
Wife: What are you wearing, "Jake From State Farm"?
[cut to State Farm office]
Jake: Uh, khakis? (aside, to coworker* ) Hey, do they ever ask you what you're wearing?
Coworker: Uh, yeah.
Jake: (to wife) Red sweater, button-up shirt... - A variant of this ad instead features The Coneheads, with Beldar being suspected of infidelity by Prymaat due to the notion that no-one would contact "Planet State Farm" at "0300 hours." The joke is, of course, these are the Coneheads we are talking about, so it doesn't go quite the way the normal version does.Beldar: Correct I have a lifemate! Is that consequential? Hmm, ah...
Prymaat: With whom are you communicating?
Beldar: Jake from Planet State Farm!
Prymaat: Jake from Planet State Farm? At 0300 hours? [takes the phone] State your identity.
Beldar: It is Jake from Planet State Farm! Home of discount double-check.
Prymaat: Describe your apparel, "Jake from Planet State Farm."
Beldar: [hissing noises]
[cut to State Farm office]
Jake: Uh...khakis?
[cut to living room]
Prymaat: Khakis? Explain.
Beldar: A dull Earthly garment covering male extremities.
Prymaat: [quietly surprised] Sounds most appropriate.
Beldar: Mm-hm.
- In both the original ad
- Put a Face on the Company: Not the intention of the original ad, which was just intended as one-off gag and Jake himself wasn't really supposed to the most memorable aspect of the ad. However, this is the entire idea of the relaunch, with the new Jake as a spokesperson for the company and launching him with a new version of an ad that was already familiar in people's minds to cement this.
- Race Lift: In 2020 State Farm began airing a new version of its famous ad, in which a guy calls his white insurance agent at 3 A.M. in the morning, only to be confronted by his angry wife who refuses to believe that he would really be discussing insurance on the phone at 3 A.M. and must be talking with a woman. The twist in the new version is that "Jake" is now African-American. Following this, the new Jake continued to appear in other ads.
- Real Men Wear Pink: In "Bath Bomb" NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes is a little embarrassed he's very into bath bombs, and keeps tossing bombs into an increasingly fizzy bath. Jake assures him that it's fine.
- Remake Cameo: The original Jake from State Farm ad was remade in 2020 to introduce the newer version of the character. He asks if customers often ask what they're wearing, and the agent who replies in the affirmative is played by Jake Stone, the original Jake from State Farm.
- Rhyme Theme Naming: Parodied in the Super Bowl 55 commercial, where Jake From State Farm's stand-in is none other than Drake, who tries to call himself "Drake from State Farm".
- Totem Pole Trench: In "What If Not Tall?" pro basketball player Chris Paul complains that fellow player Boban Marjanović is 7'4". Marjanović is revealed to be three kids standing on top of each other, with the topmost one wearing a Latex Perfection mask.
